LPD cuts ribbon on new police headquarters

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - The City of Lubbock and the Lubbock Police Department spent the morning showing off their new police headquarters.

Everything from the technology inside to the architectural design is meant to help uphold a standard of public safety here in Lubbock.

“We’re all going to be gone someday,” Lubbock Mayor Tray Payne said. “Police officers will come and go. Chiefs will come and go, but this building will remain standing for a long time. I hope the citizens of Lubbock are able to look at our police department, look at these facilities and look at this building and see integrity in this building and integrity in the city.”

The structure took more than two years to build, but in January, the department finally started moving into the new HQ at 15th and Avenue K.

“This is a beautiful brand-new building,” Interim Police Chief Greg Rushin said. “It’s state of the art. Our employees are very psyched over this.”

The new facility is three stories high and more than 50,000 sq. feet, costing more than $16 million.

Each floor is strategically set up to improve communication within the department. With multiple conference rooms throughout the facility, and common areas for department members to take advantage of.

“Communication in any organization is vital,” Rushin said. “We try to make every attempt to make sure that we communicate throughout the agency.”

As for communicating with suspects or persons of interest, there are new interview rooms on multiple floors with audio equipment.

What could be just as important are the rooms where nobody is talking.

Quiet rooms have been placed throughout the building to help officers unwind after a tough shift, and a new gym will help them stay physically ready for the job.

“We have to take care of the mental health and physical health of our employees,” Rushin said. “We have a wellness team that does that.”

These new resources are all expected to help protect and serve the community, including a newly-designed dispatch that will help officers respond to calls.

“This is the citizens’ headquarters,” Rushin said. “We work for the citizens and we’re very pleased that they supported this.”

This new headquarters was made possible by the public safety project approved in 2018, the same project that helped create three division stations and a new municipal court.

The next step is finishing the new forensic and property room in North Lubbock. That’s expected to be complete in March of 2025.